The Vatican says Pope Francis is to receive Russian President Vladimir Putin next week.

The meeting is to take place at the Vatican on June 10.

It will be the Putin’s first visit to the Holy See since the crisis in Ukraine erupted more than a year ago.

The Russian leader visited the Holy See in November 2013, before Russia's March 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and the subsequent conflict in the country's east badly soured relations with the West.

The Vatican has adopted a cautious stance on the conflict between Kyiv and pro-Russian separatists, publicly voicing his frustration over "a war between Christians."

Putin is also expected to visit Russia's pavilion at the World Expo in Milan, where June 10 has been slated as Russia's national day.